Floor
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A floor is the bottom surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from simple dirt in a cave to many layered surfaces made with modern technology. Floors may be stone, wood, bamboo, metal or any other material that can support the expected load.
The levels of a building are often referred to as floors, although sometimes referred to as storeys.
Floors typically consist of a subfloor for support and a floor covering used to give a good walking surface. In modern buildings the subfloor often has electrical wiring, plumbing, and other services built in. As floors must meet many needs, some essential to safety, floors are built to strict building codes in some regions.
Special floor structures
Where a special floor structure like a floating floor is laid upon another floor, both may be called subfloors.
Special floor structures are used for a number of purposes:
- Balcony, a platform projecting from a wall
- Floating floor, normally for noise or vibration reduction
- Glass floor, as in glass bottomed elevators
- Nightingale floor makes a noise when an intruder walks on it
- Raised floor, utilities underneath can be accessed easily
- Sprung floor, improves the performance and safety of athletes and dancers
Floor covering
Floor covering is a term to generically describe any material applied over a floor structure to provide a walking surface. Flooring is the general term for a permanent or temporary covering of a floor, or for the work of installing such a floor covering. Both terms are used interchangeably but floor covering refers more to loose-laid materials.
Materials almost always classified as floor covering include
, and various seamless chemical floor coatings.The choice of material for floor covering is affected by factors such as cost, endurance, noise insulation, comfort and cleaning effort, and sometimes concern about allergens.[1] Some types of flooring must not be installed below grade (lower than ground level), and laminate or hardwood should be avoided where there may be moisture or condensation.
The subfloor may be finished in a way that makes it usable without any extra work. See:
- Earthen floor adobe or clay floors
- Solid ground floor cement screed or granolithic
A number of special features may be used to
Subfloor construction
Floors may be built on
Three layers are common only in highest-quality construction. The two layers in high-quality construction will both be thick 3⁄4 inch (19.1 mm) sheets (as will the third when present), but they may have a combined thickness of only half that in cheaper construction – 1⁄2 in (12.7 mm) panel overlaid by 1⁄4 in (6.4 mm) plywood subflooring. At the highest end, or in select rooms of the building there might be three sheeting layers, and such stiff subflooring is necessary to prevent the cracking of large floor tiles of 9–10 inches (22.9–25.4 cm) or more on a side. The structure under such a floor will frequently also have extra "bracing" and "blocking" joist-to-joist intended to spread the weight to have as little sagging on any joist as possible when there is a live load on the floor above.
In Europe and North America only a few rare floors have no separate floor covering on top, and those are normally because of a temporary condition pending sales or occupancy; in semi-custom new construction and some rental markets, such floors are provided for the new home buyer or renter to select their preferred floor coverings, usually a wall-to-wall carpet or one-piece vinyl floor covering. Wood clad (hardwood) and tile covered finished floors generally require a stiffer, higher-quality subfloor, especially for the later class. Since the wall base and flooring interact forming a joint, such later added semi-custom floors will generally not be hardwood, for that joint construction would be in the wrong order unless the wall base trim was also delayed pending the choosing.
The subfloor may also provide
Some subfloors are inset below the top surface level of surrounding flooring's joists and such subfloors and a normal height joist are joined to make a plywood box both molding and containing at least two inches (5 cm) of concrete (A mud floor" in builders' parlance). Alternatively, only a slightly inset floor topped by a fibrous mesh and concrete building composite floor cladding is used for smaller high quality tile floors; these "concrete" subfloors have a good thermal match with ceramic tiles and so are popular with builders constructing kitchen, laundry and especially both common and high end bathrooms and any other room where large expanses of well supported ceramic tile will be used as a finished floor. Floors using small (4.5 in or 11.4 cm and smaller) ceramic tiles generally use only an additional 1⁄4-inch (6.4 mm) layer of plywood (if that) and substitute adhesive and substrate materials making do with both a flexible joints and semi-flexible mounting compounds and so are designed to withstand the greater flexing which large tiles cannot tolerate without breaking.
Ground floor construction
A ground-level floor can be an earthen floor made of soil, or be solid ground floors made of concrete slab.
Ground level slab floors are uncommon in northern latitudes where freezing provides significant structural problems, except in heated interior spaces such as basements or for outdoor unheated structures such as a gazebo or shed where unitary temperatures are not creating pockets of troublesome meltwaters. Ground-level slab floors are prepared for pouring by
Upper floor construction
Floors in
Utilities
In modern buildings, there are numerous services provided via ducts or wires underneath the floor or above the ceiling. The floor of one level typically also holds the ceiling of the level below (if any).
Services provided by subfloors include:
- Air conditioning
- Communication fibers
- Electrical wiring
- Fire protection
- Thermal insulation
- Plumbing
- Sewerage
- Soundproofing
- Underfloor heating
In floors supported by joists,
Pipes for plumbing, sewerage, underfloor heating, and other utilities may be laid directly in slab floors, typically via cellular floor raceways. However, later maintenance of these systems can be expensive, requiring the opening of concrete or other fixed structures. Electrically heated floors are available, and both kinds of systems can also be used in wood floors as well.
Problems with floors
Wood floors, particularly older ones, will tend to 'squeak' in certain places. This is caused by the wood rubbing against other wood, usually at a joint of the subfloor. Firmly securing the pieces to each other with screws or nails may reduce this problem.
Floors with a chemical sealer, like stained concrete or epoxy finishes, usually have a slick finish presenting a potential slip and fall hazard, however there are anti skid additives and coatings which can help mitigate this and provide increased traction. Reliable, science-backed floor slip resistance testing can help floor owners and designers determine if their floor is too slippery, or allow them to choose an appropriate flooring for the intended purpose before installation.
The flooring may need protection sometimes. A gym floor cover can be used to reduce the need to satisfy incompatible requirements.
Floor cleaning
Floor cleaning is a major occupation throughout the world and has been since ancient times. Cleaning is essential for hygiene, to prevent injuries due to slips, and to remove dirt. Floors are also treated to protect or beautify the surface. The correct method to clean one type of floor can often damage another, so it is important to use the correct treatment.
See also
References
- PMID 12003758.
- ISBN 9780894991677.
External links
Media related to Floors at Wikimedia Commons